Service Brakes Problems of Chevrolet Colorado - part 1

Both rear calipers have become frozen or stuck, causing the brakes to seize and not work correctly. This happened around 53,000 miles. There was a burning rubber smell as well as the tire/brake temp was 5 times the normal. This created a severe driving hazard.

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On September 4, 2026, I experienced an extremely serious and frightening braking failure while driving my 2020 Chevrolet Colorado 2. 5l. I was driving my granddaughter to school and was pulling into the school's carpool/drop-off area at approximately 20 mph. This was an especially dangerous location because children, parents, vehicles, and school personnel were in the immediate area. As I attempted to slow and stop the vehicle, the brake pedal suddenly became extremely hard and the vehicle would not stop normally. The dashboard displayed “service brake assist,” and the check-engine light illuminated. I pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle continued moving. Realizing that the normal brakes were not stopping the truck, I engaged the emergency/parking brake. The emergency brake slowed the vehicle somewhat, but even then the vehicle did not come to a complete stop. I ultimately had to place the vehicle in park to get it stopped. Fortunately, I was traveling at a low speed and was able to prevent the vehicle from striking a child, pedestrian, another vehicle, or other property. My granddaughter was also inside the vehicle at the time. This was an extremely frightening situation that could very easily have resulted in catastrophic injuries or death. The fact that this occurred in a school carpool/drop-off area surrounded by children makes the seriousness of this failure especially concerning. There was no reasonable warning that I was about to lose normal braking assistance. I am reporting this incident because I believe this vehicle may have experienced a serious safety-related defect involving the braking/brake-assist system. I am requesting that this incident be documented and that NHTSA investigate whether other owners of 2020 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles, particularly those equipped with the 2. 5l four-cylinder engine, have experienced similar sudden losses of brake assist or braking ability.

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While driving home multiple lights,messages and sounds came on the dashboard. I stepped on the brake and there were no brakes. I put vehicle in neutral and pumped brakes a few times. I was not traveling that fast so the vehicle stopped before I hit the person in front of me. I drove 10 mpg with my hazards on to the nearest gas station. I called chevy service and they sent a tow truck n/c to bring to the dealer.

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Brake boost vacuum pump failure. While approaching a traffic light that was red, I applied the brakes. The pedal was very hard to press and required me using both feet to bring the vehicle to a stop. Stopping distance was much longer than normal. I removed the vacuum pump and found it had seized and broke apart.

Complete loss of electronic power steering capability while new teenage driver was traveling at high rate of speed. Loss of power steering and stabilitrak traction control warning indicators on dash. Issue that invoke a safety recall in previous year model vehicle (gm recall #15595 & gm special coverage n182182190) but is being ignored by manufacturer for my 2016 model. Odb2 fault codes confirms u0420-42 and c0545 indicating exact same issues still occurring in 2016 vehicles despite recall due to this safety issue in 2015 models.

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Iba sobre el freeway a 60 millas y DE la nada el freno se puso duro no respondían me pasé a los carril DE la orilla y fui metiendo freno DE mano poco a poco bendito dios me puse a salvo! la agencia me dijo que fue el booster ahora tienen que verificar que no halla fragmentos DE metal en el motor!.

While driving on the freeway, I experienced a sudden issue with the vehicle’s braking system. The brake pedal became extremely stiff and difficult to press, and the brake assist stopped functioning. I was still able to apply the brakes, but it required significantly more force than normal to slow and stop the vehicle. Prior to this incident, I had also noticed an issue where the engine did not shut off normally after removing the key. The engine continued running briefly before shutting off with a noticeable rumble/shudder. I do not know whether the two issues are related, but I am including this information because it occurred before the brake-assist failure and may be relevant to diagnosing the vehicle.

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The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph, the engine revved without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact stated that while turning onto an exit ramp, the brake pedal was depressed to slow the vehicle; however, there was resistance to the brake pedal, and an excessive amount of pressure was needed to depress brake pedal to stop the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was informed of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that failure might cause the complete engine failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

While driving my 2020 Chevrolet Colorado through [xxx], the truck began having difficulty accelerating. As I exited the highway and turned into a gas station, the truck suddenly lost power. The steering became extremely difficult, and I lost normal brake assist. The brake pedal became extremely hard, and I had to apply extreme force to stop the truck and avoid crashing into a wall at the gas station. Fortunately, no collision occurred. The truck was towed to ed corley Ford in [xxx] because I was stranded in a remote area with very limited options. They diagnosed a failed/broken vacuum pump and told me replacing it should make the truck operable so I could drive it home to [xxx]. I authorized the repair. After replacing the vacuum pump, they told me they started the truck and heard an abnormal sound. They shut it off, and when they tried to restart it, the truck would not start. They wanted to perform additional diagnosis, but I declined and had the truck transported back to [xxx] for evaluation by a Chevrolet dealership. Huffines Chevrolet lewisville inspected the truck. Their technician removed the camshaft position sensor and used a borescope to inspect the camshaft. They documented that the camshaft is damaged at the end where it connects to the vacuum pump and stated the actuator pin was most likely bent due to the vacuum-pump failure, damaging the camshaft and causing it to be slightly out of time. I have also been informed of engine damage. The truck remains inoperable and is currently available for inspection. I am concerned this is a safety defect because the vacuum-pump failure resulted in a sudden loss of normal brake assist while I was driving and was followed by camshaft/engine damage. I am asking NHTSA to investigate this failure and similar Chevrolet Colorado complaints. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Brake vacum pump experienced a catastrophic failure. I was unable to step on the break because the break pedal was hard. I ran thru a red light. I was told the brake vacume pump shattered & pieces of metal went into my engine.

I was driving went to stop brake petal went to the floor and the truck did not stop. So I put it in low gear and got the truck to stop. The truck is at the dealer they keep giving me the run around so I call gm and open a case there going to get back to me . Brake light,aps,brake systemfailure all lit up on dash and truck only had 134 mile.

Was on a trip and on the highway home the service break lights came on. By the time we got home(less than 200 miles) the breaks where scraping the calipers. Truck only had 25,586 miles on it when they picked it up to take to the shop. Dealership had to replace the break pads, calipers and rotor on the front driver side.

VIN: [xxx]. 2019 chevy Colorado, ~115,000 mi. Failed component: vacuum pump failed internally; debris damaged the exhaust camshaft. Pump is cam-driven with no shear pin, so seizure cuts brake assist and sends metal debris into the engine. Truck/parts are at chapman Chevrolet, tempe az, available for inspection. Safety risk: on xxx, brake pedal suddenly lost assist while my son merged onto xxx from [xxx]. Pedal effort/stopping distance increased with no warning - high risk of collision merging into highway traffic. Confirmed by dealer: yes. Chapman Chevrolet confirmed vacuum pump failure and camshaft damage, consistent with gm TSB 21-na-268 (drive-lug failure). Other inspections: dealer only so far; not yet by gm, police, or insurance. Available if needed. Prior symptoms: none. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the sudden brake assist failure on 7/1/26. This is a known failure mode on gm's cam-driven vacuum pump (TSB 21-na-268; special coverage xxx covers 2014-2017 trucks/suvs but not this 2019 Colorado despite same design). Requesting investigation into whether this is an unaddressed defect on 2018-2019+ Colorado/canyon 2. 5l trucks, and whether recall/extended coverage is warranted. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Component that failed: brakes. I was pulling into a parking spot at low speed and the brake pedal was suddenly extremely difficult to depress, almost impossible. It felt as if a brick were under the pedal but there was no obstruction. I was able to stop only because I was already going so slow. Safety of myself and others was at risk because I was almost unable to stop the vehicle. If I had been going any faster I don't believe I would have been able to without crashing into an obstacle. Vehicle is currently at a service shop but issue has not been verified or repaired as of today. When restarting the vehicle, the engine stuttered and started making odd sounds, and wouldn't idle properly. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms at all prior to failure. When I entered the parking lot it was working normally and when I turned to enter a parking spot the brakes suddenly just failed.

While driving downhill nearing a stop sign my wife went to apply the brakes to stop and all she had was an extremely hard brake pedal. She panicked that she “no brakes. ” she was only going about 20 mph, and was able to stop the vehicle but it took an extraordinary amount of effort to do so. Had she had to make a sudden stop for a child, another person, or something else, she would not have been able to stop without negative consequences including possible death. There were no warning signs, vehicle pulled out of driveway and brakes were normal. Less than 10 seconds later no more power brakes. The vehicle had the vacuum pump seize which eliminated the power boost and the pump is operated by the exhaust camshaft which also got damaged and needs replaced. Chevy dealership estimated the repair at $2,600. Upon researching the vacuum pump, this is a common failure on multiple gm vehicles resulting in sudden brake loss. The vacuum pump should have been designed with a shear pin, so that if it fails the camshaft does not get damaged. Had the vacuum pump been properly designed and it was the only failing part, the repair cost would be $500 versus $2,600. Also, there should have been a temporary backup system so you would not lose power boost.

While driving on the parkway, the engine revved, and then the brakes became hard as a brick. The truck was unable to be stopped. There were no warning lamps or indications there was a problem, it happened suddenly and immediately. Other drivers' and my own safety was at risk because I could not stop the truck. Here is the diagnosis from the gm service center where it was towed "after the removal of the valve cover, the tech found the pump in pieces, and the end of the exhaust camshaft was damaged, as presented in the photos. The quote attached depicts all that is being replaced with this repair. " the is a know and acknowledged gm defect that has affected well over 3 million vehicles to date. There was a recall issued for some models, but not the Chevrolet Colorado. There are many reports online of other Colorado owners having the exact brake vacuum pump failure, resulting in damage to the camshaft. There is also a class action lawsuit filed in michigan in early 2026, involving the same brake vacuum pump failure, for some of the models that were not included in the recall. This is an extremely dangerous mechanical failure that gm is aware of.

The contact's husband owns a 2025 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that after exiting a car wash tunnel and parking the vehicle on the side of the car wash building, the vehicle continued to roll forward at a high speed without warning. The contact used both feet and excessive force on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle; however, the vehicle continued to roll forward. The vehicle ran over the parking pillar and crashed into a brick column attached to the building. The vehicle continued to roll forward after the crash and eventually stopped once it rolled over the car wash road indentation. The contact reversed out of the car wash indentation and called her husband for assistance. After her husband arrived at the scene; the vehicle was driven to the residence without any further issues. The vehicle remained at the residence and was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 111,817.

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Component: drivetrain, brake, and engine management systems repeatedly fail in a coordinated pattern, with multiple warning indicators activating simultaneously and sudden unintended deceleration occurring without warning. Vehicle available for inspection. Safety risk: most recent failure occurred at highway speed with family including passengers in the vehicle. Without warning, the vehicle decelerated abruptly while multiple dashboard warnings activated at once. Sudden deceleration at highway speed creates immediate risk of rear-end collision from following traffic and loss of vehicle control. Prior dealer confirmation: yes. Curry Chevrolet (scarsdale, NY) has had the vehicle in service for the same defect category on multiple prior occasions, including stays of over a week on at least two visits. The dealer has not permanently resolved the issue — symptoms have now recurred at sixth time. An additional early service visit at the same dealer was not documented with a repair order; I retain contemporaneous text messages establishing that visit occurred. Other inspections: inspected only by curry Chevrolet to date. Gm customer assistance engaged (case #xxx). No police, insurance, or independent inspections. New case has been filed with gm, linked to the previous (case #xxx). Next service visit will be at a different authorized Chevrolet dealer for an independent diagnostic. Warning indicators: yes. In the most recent incident, multiple warning lamps and system alerts activated simultaneously at the moment of deceleration, with no advance warning. Prior incidents showed the same multi-system warning pattern, consistently without predictive indicators. Vehicle is a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado, VIN [xxx], delivered January 2026 with 2,209 miles on the odometer at delivery. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact called on behalf of a family member who owns 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated while the owner was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, but was stiff, requiring the driver to forcefully depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the contact's auto repair shop, where it was diagnosed that the brake vacuum pump was fractured and damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed that there was no related recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was not contacted. 180,203.

Vacuum pump seized, causing loss of power assist on brakes. This happened as I was approaching an intersection to make a right-hand turn. When I press down on the brake pedal it felt hard, like it was locked up. After pressing down on it with both feet, I was able to slow the vehicle down enough to turn out of the intersection. If this event happened when there was another vehicle in the intersection or approaching the intersection on the side street that I was turning onto, it would have led to a collision. Not being able to slow down adequately, I had to swing wide in the turn. This incident happened at a relatively slow speed. If it had happened at highway speeds it could have been catastrophic. There was no warning light prior to the incident the check engine light did not come on until after the incident. The pump seizure caused the connecting coupling between the exhaust cam and pump to shatter. The damage was extended to the exhaust cam and valve cover and leaving metal fragments in the engine. The local Chevrolet dealer has given me an estimate for the repair of over $2400.

My truck has used automatic emergency braking multiple times while driving at variable speeds with no obstacles or vehicles in front of me causing whiplash and further damage to my neck that has 5 budging discs. Since I’m only allowed to add a specific mileage and speed below, I’ll note here that it’s happened since I purchased the truck with roughly 35000 miles on it to the current mileage of 44000 and between speeds of 30mph-75mph.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

Brake vacuum pump appeared to fail creating brake system malfunction. Appears determined by mechanics to have seized and caused damage to cam shaft. Driver’s safety issue caused when trying to brake vehicle not functioning. Vehicle was towed to mechanic shop. There were no warning signs of impending failure of system. Note that earlier years for this model may have had recalls for safety issue and malfunction.

I was driving down a street, stopped for an accident that the police where directing traffic for, went passed the 2 officers, put my indicator light on to turn into dunkin donuts and stepped on the brakes and they failed. I was lucky there was an incline and no one behind me, I was able to drive up the incline and use my emergency brakes to slow and stop the car before going over the top and down the other side. I called the tow truck and was towed to my auto shop where is was discovered, my car suffered a catastrophic brake failure. Thank goodness I was not on my usual route with my special needs son and wasn't going to fast. This is a known failure of the brake vacuum booster pump and this damaged my camshaft and timing chain and cost a fortune on a car barely out of warranty. This would have been a death sentence for me and my son if I had been on a highway, as well as other people on the highway, if I wasn't able to stop for construction, someone cutting in front of me or any other incident on the road. This is not acceptable and these vehicles should be recalled!!!!! I am not the only one that has been through this since 2014 terrible-recall this part before someone dies, like they did in va with the bus. I also had to rent a car during the repairs so I could get my son to his activities. This whole incident that should have been covered under a recall has caused my son to have ptsd with this vehicle.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed, and the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact switched to manual driving mode and downshifted the transmission. The vehicle came to a stop after driving over a dirt pile. The brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to drive to the residence. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the hydraulic line was rubbing against the parking brake cable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,400.

About two weeks ago my truck popped up a message asking if I had installed new brake pads. When I selected no, on my home screen, where I can see the systems of my truck the front bake wear indicator no longer showed a percentage. When I inspected my brake pads the front outer pads still had a good amount of pad left, but when I checked the inner pads they had been severely worn down compared to the outers. On 4/1 I brought my truck to a chevy dealership to have them diagnose why there is such uneven brake pad wear. After they inspected the brakes the dealership then told me that due to the brake pad clips being installed improperly my pads were wearing out unevenly. The dealership also showed me a service bulletin (25-na-365) that gm had put out for trucks in the 2023-2026 models that stated due to a factory installation defect on the clip that holds the brake pads in place it is causing uneven wear on the brake pads. I told the dealership that the clip causing uneven wear on the brake pads could become a safety concern if owners don’t know about this because the braking effectiveness of the truck is wearing out faster than what the owner is told by the sensor. I told them in extreme cases that if the pad completely wears out then the rotor could be damaged and cause a very significant impact to the safety of the vehicle because the braking system will be severely degraded. I was told that since it is just a service bulletin the dealership and gm do not have to cover the repairs of the brake pads because a service bulletin is not the same as a recall and that brake pad wear is a normal maintenance item. My concern is that trucks with similar mileages as mine of 20000 miles are wearing their brake pads out at an alarming rate and the dealership and gm are not taking the responsibility to ensure that the issue is resolved and new pads are replaced to ensure proper braking effectiveness on the roads.

All electronic braking lights came on in truck @13040 miles dropped at dealership last Monday they believe it’s the master cylinder. Pending additional info.

My 2023 chevy Colorado developed a rear brake squeal when backing up at approximately 20,000 miles. The dealer found nothing wrong at my next appointment. By 30,000 miles, the rear pads and rotors required replacement, at partial cost to me. The new rear brakes are already squealing again after just a few thousand miles. This isn't an isolated issue. A chevy Colorado forum I follow has documented multiple owners experiencing the same pattern: rear brake squealing beginning around 20,000 miles, followed by premature pad and rotor failure shortly after. Notably, front brake wear is normal across all reported cases, including my own, pointing directly to a rear-specific defect rather than general driving habits or conditions. The rear brakes on the 2023 chevy Colorado appear to be failing well ahead of any reasonable service interval, and the consistency of this pattern across multiple owners strongly suggests a systemic problem.

My truck only has 16,600 miles on it and the rotors and brakes are already shuddering. The dealership told me I needed my front and rear brakes and rotors replaced. It is beyond ridiculous when my last truck a 2020 chevy Colorado had no rotor or brake problems and have 90,000 miles when I traded it in.

There have about 4 incidents where my vehicle has engaged the automatic emergency breaks while I’m driving, even though there are no cars around me close enough to cause that reaction. Called 911 on most recent incident to get medical evaluation to check chest from seat belt sudden locking.

While driving in grocery store parking lot. The brake booster completely failed with no notice almost causing me to hit someone. I had to throw the truck in park while moving to avoid hitting pedestrians. The brake pedal is completely compressed to the floor as I was stomping the brakes in an attempt to stop. Had I not thought quick enough I would of hit at least 2 people.

At ~20,300 miles, severe chassis and steering wheel vibration occurred during high-speed highway descents while braking. Safety risk: reduced steering control at highway speed. The vehicle was inspected by a franchised Chevrolet dealer in lakewood, CO. The technician's written service notes document rear rotor lateral runout (lro) of 0. 006 inches against gm's maximum allowable specification of 0. 002 inches per gm service bulletin 00-05-22-002 — 3x the engineering limit. The defect was confirmed in dealer documentation and is available for inspection. After I identified this discrepancy, the service manager claimed the technician meant 0. 006 mm (metric). Photographic evidence from the dealer's own diagnostic video shows a dial indicator clearly labeled in 0. 001-inch increments with the needle resting on the 6th tick mark. A metric reading of 0. 0002 inches is physically impossible to display as 6 full divisions on this tool. Gm customer assistance denied the warranty claim, classifying it as maintenance. Lateral runout is a geometric specification, not a wear measurement. A rotor 3x out of tolerance at 20,300 miles is a material or assembly defect. No warning lamps appeared. The safety concern remains unresolved.

While driving a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado on interstate 95 in florida, the vehicle suddenly experienced a loss of brake assist. The brake pedal became extremely hard and very difficult to press. The driver had difficulty slowing the vehicle and had to use the emergency brake to help bring the vehicle to a stop. This occurred on interstate 95, which is a very busy highway with high-speed traffic. The sudden loss of braking assistance created a serious safety hazard and could have resulted in a crash. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the mechanic diagnosed the problem as a failed vacuum pump that broke and damaged the exhaust camshaft and related components. The repair required replacement of the vacuum pump, exhaust camshaft assembly, camshaft actuator and solenoid, and valve cover gasket. The total repair cost was approximately $2,329. The vehicle had approximately 64,348 miles at the time of the failure. No warning lights or prior symptoms were noticed before the failure occurred.

On Wednesday, February 18th, I was driving on the freeway, usual heavy traffic right off of it at 5:00pm. When exiting and merging onto the street, I pressed on my break to slow down and meet the speed of traffic, but my breaks felt hard, I struggled pressing it down, and my car wasn’t slowing down. I was able to swerve off into a dirt patch next to the road. Then I panicked, unable to find where my emergency break was, I put my car in park and it eventually came to a stop. I then took the car to the dealership, and they’ve told me that the vacuum pump needs a replacement. The car has currently been at the dealership for a week and a half and there still seems to be no solution. I’ve reached out to general motors and with the responses they’ve given me, it feels like they the know what’s going on but have thus far given me the run around. They say they’ve reached out to the dealership, but when I mention it to my dealership advisor, they say they haven’t heard anything.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

Recall was performed on truck about a year ago for the pedestrian collision automatic braking. Today the truck locked up the brakes in traffic and there wasn’t a pedestrian in sight. I believe the recall didnt truly fix the issue, as it has given false alerts before without applying the brakes.

The power brake booster was found broken on 1/29/2026. Through repairs, I've found vacuum pump race being completely damaged and exhaust camshaft end that linked with vacuum pump is also damaged.